Aarna Networks joins 5G lab, PAWR program, secures funding

Aarna Networks, Inc., a provider of open-source software and services for network automation, is now part of Seattle-based 5G Open Innovation Lab which helps startups leverage 5G through edge application orchestration, management and automation, the company announced.

Aarna Networks provides a distribution of the Linux Foundation open source project Open Network Automation Platform (ONAP). Closely working with Lab founding companies Intel and T-Mobile, Aarna Networks said it will guide the startup community through access to engineering, technology and industry insights around the use of ONAP software.

“By joining the 5G Open Innovation Lab, we plan to collaborate with a large ecosystem of startup and end users on state-of-the-art 5G and edge computing use cases such as private 5G over CBRS,” said Amar Kapadia, co-founder and CEO of Aarna Networks, in a prepared statement.

The 5G Open Innovation Lab aims to create an ecosystem of partners from various industries including media and entertainment, transportation, oil and gas, manufacturing and retail. As the number of edge sites and dynamic edge applications is forecast to increase, Aarna Networks offers critical management capabilities, automation and orchestration.

“The 5G OI Lab is an extraordinary opportunity for developers to work directly with technology and business leaders to design and bring to life their vision and dreams for new 5G applications,” said Jim Brisimitzis, managing partner of the 5G OI Lab, in a prepared statement.

Aarna Networks has also joined a U.S. government research initiative co-led by U.S. Ignite and Northeastern University and funded by the National Science Foundation and the Platforms for Advanced Wireless Research (PAWR) Industry Consortium. The PAWR program runs testbeds in different cities in the U.S. with Salt Lake City being the first generally available platform for partners.

“By joining PAWR, we can help with advanced research topics such as network slicing, O-RAN integration, and management of edge computing applications,” said Kapadia, in a prepared statement.

Aarna Networks will provide basic and premium support and features for improved installation and lifecycle management for software and applications that run on ONAP distribution platform, based on the Linux Foundation open source ONAP4K8s.

In March, the company secured financing in an angel round led by lead investor Subba Reddy. The investment will be used to expand Aarna Networks’ 5G/edge product, complete a public 5G proof of concept (PoC) and a private LTE/5G PoC.